The Praying Hands

I look at my hands - what do I see? I see my left thumb which has been ever so loving dubbed double jointed. I see the grooves in my skin around my knuckles. I see the callouses brought on by jiu jitsu and gripping the gi. I feel strength, I feel a tender touch. I feel that God has given me the gift of the use of my hands. In massage therapy or cooking - these are some of my strengths and I feel as if he is calling me to use them. My prayer is that he opens up opportunities to serve others with my hands, whether it's making meals or helping someone who needs relief or even just a hug. I feel automatically drawn to people who are suffering or in need. Sometimes I see these opportunities but it most times requires me to give something of mine and that is my time. My time is precious to me as there's little of it. I have to remember that my time, my life is not my own and therefore I shouldn't be so selfish about it. I remember the painting "The praying hands" but Albrecht Durer. As the story goes, the reason for this painting was his friend. The two made a pact that one would work while supporting the other while he pursued art. The pact was that after the one was finished with school, the roles would reverse. Durer was the one who got to pursue art first while his friend supported him. His friend worked so hard that his hands became badly crippled enough that he would never be able to pursue the art dream. What unselfish servant-hood!

 I just came back form church and the sermon was about Colossians 1: 3-14 and how we can pray better. Fascinating. There were three main things that the pastor said about praying. First, that we should thank God that his Grace is still bearing fruit. The second was that we should ask Him to fill us with the knowledge of His will for our lives and how we can live a life pleasing to Him. The third thing was to ask that He would empower us, give us endurance, patience, joy and gratitude. This is so different from how I've prayed in the past. I've prayed for things that I think will make MY life better. It's not a bad thing to pay for the things we want, but if that's our sole focus, then maybe we need some realigned thinking. Rather, I think, we should be praying for God to show us how we can serve Him and further His kingdom. So that's my new prayer. Thankful for God's free, amazing Grace...Praying for the knowledge of His will for My life...and how I can use my hands to Serve Him.